Adjustable fastener



March 4, 1958 N. STATHAM 2,825,111

I ADJUSTABLE FASTENER Filed may 2o. 1954 INVENTOR. 1 /l/04 5747H/7M United States PatentO ADJUSTABLE FASTENER Noel Statham, New Canaan, Conn., assignor to Talon, Inc., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 20, 1954, Serial No. 431,163

; 2 Claims. c1.- 24-206) This invention relates to adjustable fasteners of the type comprising a flexible track including a series of spaced apart stop means supported in a flexible manner and having a slide member arranged thereon for longitudinal movement therealong which is adapted to be locked selectively in various adjusted positions.

It is the general object of the present invention to provide an improved flexible track for adjustable fasteners which can be conveniently formed and attached to the article with which it is adapted to be used.

It is another object of the invention to provide a simple and inexpensive track which can be conveniently secured directly to the article by means of stitching without the need of any other supporting member such as a tape.

It is a more specific object of this invention to provide a track which is extremely flexible formed from a continuous length of material, such as wire.

Various other objects and advantages of this invention will be more apparent in the course of the following specification, and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, there is shown for the purpose of illustration, an embodiment which my invention may assume in practice.

In these drawings:

Fig. l is a plan view of the improved adjustable fastening device of the present invention showing it assembled on a supporting member,

Fig. 2 is a side view thereof,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

The adjustable fastener, shown in Fig. 1 and 2, is of the general type illustrated in my Patent No. 1,887,825 issued November 15, 1932, in that it comprises a track generally designated at 2, which is secured to the article or garment, for example, one end of a belt, and on which track there is mounted a slider 3 for movement therealong which is secured to another part of the article or garment or to the other end of the belt, and which slider may be selectively adjusted longitudinally of the track and locked in any desired position therealong.

Referring to the drawings more in detail, the improved track of the present invention comprises a track 2 made from a continuous length of wire, designated at 4, preferably having a cylindrical cross section and preferably made of any suitable metal such as spring steel.

This continuous wire is formed into a plurality of uniform loops 5 preferably circular in shape. These loops are arranged in two substantialy parallel rows extending throughout the length of the track with each successive loop formed alternately on opposite sides of the center of the width of the track and each successive loop formed on each respective side in close staggered relation to that of the preceding loop formed on the other side, as more clearly shown in Fig. 5. The edge of each adjacent loop 011 each respective side of the track overlaps that of the lama Ma 4. 19:58

2 adjacent loop, .as at 6, so that the center portion of the track is offset from the outer sides of the loops and, consequently, from the marginal edges of the track for a purpose hereinafter to be described.

Thus, it will be seen that the track construction is such that when it is flexed longitudinally the lapped edges of the loops are disposed in close and intimate frictional contact, so that in order to'flex the track in the plane in which the track lies will require sufiicient force to overcome the resistance offered by the frictional contact of the loops in addition to thatatforded by the construction and resiliency of the wire, and to flexth'e tracklaterally or to one side or the other, the resiliency afforded by the loop construction and by reason of their arrangement in staggered relation toeach other, being such "as to distribute the strain on the trackto' a substantialportion of its'length whereby the track isfre'ndered'sufficientlystiif'and rigid and at the same time"pliant and flexible in "every direction 'to yield and conform itself to the movements of the wearer, and readily return to its normal shape.

The track thus formed is attached to a supporting member 7, with the stitches 8 disposed over and around the wire of the track centrally thereof at the inner sides of each of the loops 5. It will be noted that these stitches 8, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings, are disposed below the uppermost plane of the loops 5.

The slider or locking member 3 may be of any suitable construction whereby it may slide over the track of loops 5 and is provided with means whereby it may be lockingly engaged with one of the loops or Preferably with two of the loops, one on each side of the track.

Such a slider consists generally of an elongated body portion 10 having marginal flanges 12 so as to provide a channeled body member being substantially a C-shaped cross section. These flanges 12 substantially conform to and are disposed around the outer sides or marginal edges of the loops 5 at the side of the track so as to be guided therealong thereby. On the upper side of the body portion 10, there is provided a pair of spaced apart upwardly extending ears or lug portions 13 to which there is pivotally attached a pull or locking member 14 by means of trunnion portions 15 carried thereby which are disposed in openings 16 in the lug portions 13.

There is carried by this pull member 14 adjacent the pivotal portion thereof and extending substantially perpendicular to the main body portion thereof, a pair of spaced apart locking prongs 17, which are adapted to extend through a recess 18 in the upper wall of the body portion into the channel of the slider and into the spaces 19 formed by the respective loops 5, as shown in Fig. 5, so as to lock the slider in any selected position along the track. The body portion 10 of the slider has a relatively large loop-like portion 20 arranged at one end thereof which is adapted to be fixedly attached to a portion of the material or part to be adjustably connected to the track in a well known manner.

As a result of my invention it will be seen that there is provided an improved adjustable fastener having a track which is strong and rugged and which may be applied directly to the article by a single line of sewing down the center thereof. It wil also be seen that this track is extremely flexible so as to conform readily to the particular application. Also due to its resilient characteristics the track will always tend to assume or return to its normal or substantially straight line position in the event it is bent out of line.

While I have shown and described one embodiment which my invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this embodiment is merely for the purpose of illustration and description, and that other forms may be devised within the scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In an adjustable fastening device of the class de-' ment therealong, said track comprising a" continuous length of wire formed at spaced-apart intervals throughout the length thereof so as to provide .a seriesof uniform substantially closed loops arranged in two substantially parallel rows, said loops being arranged on opposite sides of the center line of the track in staggered relation relative to one another so as to provide a zigzag arrangement, and said track being adapted to be secured to one of the supporting members along its longitudinal central portion between the two parallel rows of lo'ops. 2. In an adjustable fastening device of the class described for attachment between a pair of supporting members subject to tension having a track and a slider mounted thereon for selectively adjustable longitudinally movement therealong, said track comprising a continuous length of wire formed at spaced-apart intervals through out the length thereof so as to provide a series of uniform loops arranged in two' substantially parallel rows, said loops being arranged on the opposite sides of the center line of the track in staggered relation relative to one another so as to provide a zigzag arrangement with the edge of each loop on each respective side of the track overlapping that of the next successive loop, and said track be ing adapted to be secured to one of the supporting members along its longitudinal central portion between the two parallel rows of loops.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,887,826 Statham Nov. 15, 1932 2,299,230 Hanson Oct. 20, 1942 2,502,901 Taberlet Apr. 4, 1950 2,559,883 Legat July 10, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 7 577,141 France Sept. 1, 1924 

